


The Pact

by onetruethree



Series: AU-gust 2020 [5]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Childhood Friends, F/M, Fallback Marriage Pact, Multi, Pre-Poly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:40:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25798324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onetruethree/pseuds/onetruethree
Summary: Marinette and Adrien used to have a pact that they would try dating when they were 30. Kagami finds out and decides they should go through with the pact, even though she's engaged to Adrien.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Kagami Tsurugi, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Kagami Tsurugi
Series: AU-gust 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1862572
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	The Pact

**Author's Note:**

> For AU-gust day 7: Childhood friends

When Adrien and Marinette were kids, 30 seemed a long way away. On television, it seemed like people got married at least before 30, so Marinette always thought she would be late to the party if she wasn’t married by then. She did always imagine a big wedding, with flowers, and mushy vows, and her favorite cake. But she also longed for the other parts of marriage: the quiet nights in, making dinner together, getting a dog. So, even though she was sure Adrien didn't have feelings for her, and she was intent on moving on, she thought it was worth a try to have a failsafe. 

“Adrien, I know this might sound weird, but I have an idea.” 

He blinked at Marinette, trying to read her. “Okay, Marinette, what is it?”

She hadn’t even asked him yet and she was already shaking. “W-well, I thought, that if neither of us are married by the time we’re 30, we should,” she tripped over her words, realizing she hadn’t given much thought to how she should word this, “we should give it a shot?”

Adrien couldn’t wait until he was 30. That would mean he was (hopefully) out from under his father’s care, and more free than ever. He wanted to focus on being an individual before even thinking of getting married. But Marinette looked frantic, and she sounded a little desperate, so he told her, “Sure!” Not giving it much thought. What were the odds that neither of them would be married by that time, anyway?”

\---

Kagami had given Adrien a ring two months ago. Her grandmother’s. It was mainly for show, though, since both of their families wanted a big wedding to go to. Kagami wasn’t particularly set on the whole “marriage” thing; in fact, she thought it was pretty naive to think they would be together until death, and even more naive to believe that would be a good thing. 

Adrien didn't seem to care much either, and they didn't want to have to plan a wedding they weren’t invested in. So, although they hadn’t talked in almost five years, he called up Marinette. 

She was happy to plan a wedding for them, even for free. She had missed them, and she loved designing weddings, so it was killing two birds with one stone. Kagami had insisted on paying her, but Marinette reassured her it was fine (as long as they gave her food and a place to stay while she was up there). 

When she arrived, Adrien was shocked at how different she looked. It had only been five years, but her hair was shorter, her style was different, and those five years had done a lot of good to her. Kagami had met her once, a long time ago, the last time she and Adrien had gone back to Paris for business, and she was even more stunned. 

The couple tried not to stare, and greeted her warmly, letting her inside their place and showing her around. 

It was Marinette who was surprised, though, when she saw Kagami and Adrien’s apartment. She knew they were wealthy, especially because of their families, but this was one of the fanciest places Marinette had visited. The view, even as she first walked in, towered over the other buildings in the area, and the lights of the city were like a landscape of stars against the backdrop of the almost-dusk sky. 

Kagami led her to another room, and she tried her best to focus (unbeknownst to her, the couple were trying to do the same), and she barely heard it when Kagami told her, “This is where you’ll be staying.”

“What?”

“Oh, sorry, did I neglect to tell you? You’ll be staying with us as you plan our wedding.”

She blushed; the way she worded it was so intimate. Mainly, though, she was surprised at how nice even their guest room was. “This is perfect, thank you.”

Adrien was quiet, and when Kagami left the room to give Marinette some space, she had to pull Adrien away from staring in her direction. It was just a little jarring to see his childhood friend after all these years. Jarring in a good way, though. 

Kagami liked seeing Adrien like this: it had been a while since they surprised each other. In fact, the last time was probably Kagami pulling out that ring and proposing. It wasn’t that they didn't challenge each other, or that they didn't love each other any more. It was more just because of the wedding, there was so much pressure to settle down, like they had completed everything they were supposed to. They didn't really want kids, either, so it seemed like they were at their last milestone. That made Kagami want to do something surprising, she just wasn’t sure how. 

Once Marinette had gotten settled in, she came out to sit with them in the living room. She couldn’t help but stare out the window. It was beautiful, and for a moment, she wished she could live somewhere like this. She liked Paris, and she loved her small apartment, but she loved the city lights too. And, she loved Kagami and Adrien. As friends, of course; it wasn’t like she fell for Kagami the first time they met, and had only accepted this invitation to spend more time with the two of them. And it definitely wasn’t like she was still in love with Adrien and knew his 30th birthday was coming up and hoped their bet would be valid even though she was there to plan their wedding. No, of course not. She loved them as friends, that was all. 

“So, Marinette, how was your flight?” Kagami asked, nonchalantly cuddled up next to Adrien in a way that shouldn’t have made Marinette’s heart speed up, but it did. 

Marinette didn't like flying, but it was always worth it in the end. “It was fine,” she said, even though there had been so much turbulence she couldn’t sleep. 

“Good.” Adrien said, and then asked, “So, do you have any ideas for our wedding yet?”

It was still almost a month off, but she had to admit she had already worked on the plans quite a bit. She showed them her sketches for the dress, and the bridesmaid’s outfits, and even the cake, and they seemed intrigued by them all. 

“I’m so glad we have you,” Adrien told her, staring at her with those gorgeous green eyes, and Marinette pretty much melted right then and there. “I’ve missed when we were close.”

She smiled politely, then got an idea. It was her last opportunity to bring this topic up in a somewhat natural way, even if it ended up a bit awkward. “Remember when we were kids, and we made a pact to get married?” She tried to make it sound like she was just reminiscing, and hoped it didn't sound too forced. 

Kagami seemed too caught up in the subject to care. “Really?” She didn't seem mad about it, which was a plus. 

“Oh yeah, you’re right. I think it was that if we were both unmarried by the time we turned 30, then we could try dating.” 

Kagami smiled. “How sweet.” 

Marinette was relieved her plan had paid off. 

"What happened to the pact?” Kagami asked, and when they were both too confused to answer, she added, “Well, shouldn't you two be dating now that Adrien’s 30?”

That just made Adrien more confused. "Kagami, we're engaged."

“Engaged isn’t married.” 

Marinette laughed, thinking Kagami was making a joke, and Adrien joined. “I mean, we can’t start dating. You two are engaged.”

Kagami smiled, but played out the scenario seriously. “I think you two should be more committed to pacts if you’re just going to drop this one on a technicality.”

Marinette was starting to think this wasn’t a joke. “Well, I mean, it’s not like I have anyone at home, and I mean, if Kagami’s okay with it,” she said. If Kagami was joking, so was she. If she wasn’t, then...

“Are you taking this seriously, Marinette?” Adrien asked, completely shocked that they were even giving this a second thought. He didn't despise the idea, but it went against pretty much everything he had been taught. 

Marinette gulped, not knowing how she responded. 

Kagami shrugged. “Look guys, I’ll be serious for a second. I can see that there’s something still between you two. And if I’m going to get married to someone, I don’t want him to be this caught up on his ex.”

Adrien was starting to understand. “So, a trial run, then? To get out all of our feelings until the wedding?” He wasn’t sure who he was directing the question to, if anyone. He just knew that he was liking the idea more and more. 

“I guess that could work,” Marinette agreed reluctantly. “So should we... shake on it or something?”

Kagami stood up and pulled Adrien to his feet along with her. “I think a pact like this needs something a little more special. How about you two kiss to start things off?” Kagami was having a lot of fun seeing the two of them squirm. When she suggested kissing, though, that was when they really seemed nervous. They didn't object, though. 

Adrien approached Marinette, reluctantly putting a hand on her waist. “Marinette, we don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

Marinette smirked, starting to catch on to Kagami’s little game, and kissed him, short and sweet, on the lips. “There. It’s a promise now, Adrien. I hope you can keep up your end of the deal.”

Still recovering from the kiss, Adrien grinned. “You two are really okay with this?” He seemed to be getting the better end of the deal, and it wasn’t even his idea. 

“Very.” Kagami teased. “Now how about we let your new girlfriend get some sleep? She’ll need energy to plan our wedding.” 

That made Adrien blush, but he nodded. He needed some time to think about this as well.

Marinette did agree that she would need the sleep, but she spent an hour or so staring out the window in the guest room. It was much smaller than the one in the living room, but she could still see the expanse of the city, and she felt a hundred feet tall. She couldn’t believe her stupid little plan worked! Not only that, Kagami seemed happy to play along. She squealed quietly to herself about that kiss with Adrien (not that it was even that romantic), and her heart soared above the tallest building. She dreamt she could fly.


End file.
